Gophers fall to Huskers in matchup of top-10 wrestling teams

Nebraska, ranked sixth, won the final four matches and ended No. 8 Minnesota’s 10-match winning streak that extended to last season.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
January 12, 2025 at 2:55AM
The Gophers' Gable Steveson, shown during a November match, ran his winning streak to 56 matches Saturday against Nebraska. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

No. 6 Nebraska defeated the No. 8 Gophers wrestling team 21-13 on Saturday in Lincoln, Neb.

The loss was the first dual-meet loss of the season for the Gophers (4-1, 0-1 Big Ten) and ended a 10-match dual winning streak dating to last season.

The Gophers' last dual-meet loss was to Nebraska, 19-14 at Maturi Pavilion last January.

Saturday’s match started at 157 pounds, and the Cornhuskers (6-1, 1-0) won the first three matches to open a 9-0 lead.

Back-to-back major decisions by Max McEnelly (at 184 pounds) and Isaiah Salazar (at 197) pulled the Gophers within 9-8.

Gable Steveson’s 19-4 tech fall victory at heavyweight gave the Gophers a 13-9 lead, but the Cornhuskers won the final four matches to earn the victory.

Steveson, the top-ranked heavyweight who returned to the Gophers after winning Olympic gold, is 4-0 in dual meets for the Gophers with all four victories by tech fall. He has won 56 matches in a row.

The Gophers will play host to No. 13 Michigan on Jan. 19 at Maturi Pavilion.

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about the writer

Joel Rippel

News Assistant

Joel Rippel writes about sports for the Star Tribune.

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